


The ABIGAIL System

by goodpersonwithafetishforevilpeople



Series: Dennigail [1]
Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: Angst and Romance, Dirty Talk, Dom/sub, F/M, Flirting, Kissing, Manipulation, Masochism, Non-Consensual Groping, Past Rape/Non-con, Rape Fantasy, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sadism, Seduction, Sexual Roleplay, Sexual Tension, Situational Humiliation, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-15 22:18:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18678445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodpersonwithafetishforevilpeople/pseuds/goodpersonwithafetishforevilpeople
Summary: A - Attract his attentionB - Befriend himI - Insinuate that you're not so innocentG - Get close to himA - Ambush his libidoI - InsistL - Leave





	The ABIGAIL System

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: Abigail is the same age in this story as she is in the show (I looked it up and was surprised to discover that she is, in fact, thirteen in the episode). In the story, Dennis warns her not to just go off with strangers, to which she scoffs, "Please"; in the show, she warns Dennis not to touch her or she'll scream, to which he scoffs, "Please." It is, of course, perfectly natural for her to be suspicious of a complete stranger. In the story, it isn't necessarily that I made her more trusting, but more of a teenager with a crush. I was actually hesitant to post this story, because I really loved how sweet their friendship was in the show, and I was reluctant to taint that. I tried to preserve the sweetness as best I could by making Dennis as reluctant and remorseful as possible and by making Abigail more curious than conniving, despite what the title may imply. Sex with teenagers has been canon in the show on a couple of occasions, but if this bothers or disturbs you, then I would suggest not reading. Obviously, I do not find Abigail sexually attractive, and I do not condone this sort of thing. I suppose the reason this story came to me is partly because as a preteen, I had a pretty hard crush on a teacher, but also because, as in my Clairestiel story, "The Things We Left Inside," exploring the inverse of the dynamic in this type of relationship can be interesting from a creative perspective (see Nabokov). The acronym also sort of just came to me as I was falling asleep. I will delete any comments from anyone who disregards this warning; I am open to constructive criticism, but turn away now if you are going to be offended or, in the words of one commenter, "disgusted" by this. (I personally was not offended by your disgust; Dennis even acknowledges in the story that he thinks he's going to be physically sick. So, I am aware that this is objectively wrong, and even the characters are aware. I just want to discourage gratuitous dissent, since I am fairly certain that it should be obvious to pretty much everyone that this is clearly morally abhorrent). Is this story meant to be hot? That's up to you, as the reader, to decide. Is it meant to be emotional? Questionable? Controversial? Raw? Absolutely.

"Daddy, Daddy! Can I have twenty dollars?"

Dennis redirects his attention from the blond MILF next to him to the young girl trying to swindle him. He's caught a little off guard. "What?"

"Hi," the girl politely greets the MILF. "I'm Abigail."

"What do you need twenty dollars for, Abigail?" Dennis inquires.

"I'm hungry."

"Oh, well, I think you can find something to eat for much less than that."

"But Daddy, I'm really hungry, and you haven't given me any lunch!"

Dennis refrains from rolling his eyes. Too embarrassed to argue, he reluctantly hands the girl twenty dollars.

"Thanks, Daddy!" She says as she cheerfully scampers off.

"Interesting," Dennis mutters.

"What's interesting?"

"Nothing." Dennis dismisses the hot mom with a half-hearted wave. "I'm done with you. Keep up." He abruptly vacates the uncomfortable white lounger to search for this little con artist. He spots her fairly quickly when he hears an argument in the gift shop.

"Hey, get off me! My dad's a cop!" comes an indignant, high-pitched threat.

"Is there a problem here, sir?" Dennis asks the park security guard.

"Yes. This young lady was trying to steal this pair of sunglasses."

Dennis casts a disapproving frown down at the girl. "Now, Abigail, didn't I just give you twenty dollars?"

Chastised, Abigail looks at the ground and mutters, "Yeah."

Dennis takes the sunglasses from the security guard as he says, "I'm awfully sorry about this, sir. I really appreciate everything you do, really, real cop to security guard." He's about to hand the sunglasses to Abigail, but then thinks better of it. "No, actually, you know what, you don't deserve these. I'll take them," Dennis says as he puts them on and leads Abigail out of the shop.

"Um, sir, you have to pay -" The security guard quickly fades out of earshot.

"What's your name?" Abigail asks Dennis as they make their way through the waterpark.

"Dennis. You know, you really shouldn't go off with strangers."

"Please," she scoffs. "I'm not some naïve little kid."

"Well, no, you certainly don't seem naïve, but what are you, ten?"

"I'm thirteen, butt-face."

"Well, your trash talk definitely makes you sound ten. Here." Dennis hands Abigail the pink-rimmed sunglasses. "These are way too small for me."

Abigail takes the sunglasses and puts them on. "Thanks, Dennis."

"You know, I've been down the road you're headed. The lying, the stealing - and let me tell you something: You've got real potential. The question is, though, do you want to be a thief, or do you want to be an artist? See, an artist..." Dennis swipes a clutch from a picnic table that they quickly pass, "takes whatever they want when someone's looking right at them." He hands Abigail the clutch.

Abigail instinctively knows what to do. She returns the clutch to the woman sitting at the picnic table.

"Oh!" the woman exclaims in surprise. "Oh my goodness, thank you, dear. I didn't even notice it was missing! Here." She gratefully repays Abigail with a ten dollar bill from the clutch.

"Thanks!" Abigail gleefully accepts the money and returns to Dennis, the two of them falling back into stride with one another.

The pair swindle and swipe their way through the afternoon. The employee at the lost and found seems a little skeptical, but he doesn't call them out.

"Whoa, hey!" Dennis sets his lunch on a railing when a stream of cool water assails him. He smiles when he turns around to see Abigail giggling, armed with a water gun.

She walks up to Dennis, still smiling. "So," she begins, leaning her back against the railing. "Do you actually have kids?"

"Not as far as I know. Do you actually have parents?" Dennis jokes.

Abigail sighs. "Yeah," she mutters.

"Aw, hey, I get it. I kinda hated my dad growing up. Hell, half the time I still do. He's actually here, somewhere."

Abigail snickers. "You came to a waterpark with your dad? How old are you?"

"No, I came with my sister and my friends. My dad just tagged along 'cause he works with us and he lives with my one friend. Where are your parents, anyway?"

"They don't really pay attention to me."

"Mm. I know the feeling."

"Hey, do you want to go find some shade?"

"Yeah, it's pretty sunny, huh? Alright, let me just grab my food." Dennis picks up what's left of his lunch and continues eating it as he and Abigail set off in search of some shade. There isn't much in the park. In fact, they have to go out into the parking lot to finally find a large tree on the side of a luscious, green hill. It's a nice spot, away from all the noise and the crowd. Dennis disposes of his paper plate and plastic cutlery in a trash can near the entrance of the park. He joins Abigail in sitting against the rough bark of the tree.

"Hey, Dennis?" she says, breaking the relative silence around them. The screams and wails and other sounds of the waterpark can still be heard faintly in the distance. "I got AIDS!" some man clearly shouts.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for being the first adult to actually give a shit about me."

Dennis looks sympathetically at the girl sitting beside him, her water gun at her sandalled feet, her arms crossed over her knees. Unsure of what to say in response, Dennis absently tugs at the grass between them. He looks down at his restless hand when he feels another, much smaller one join it. 

Abigail laces her fingers between Dennis's beneath hers. "I'm glad I met you today."

Dennis allows her to hold his hand. "Me too." He flicks his eyes up to Abigail's and smiles warmly.

"You have really nice eyes," she says as though she's commenting on the weather.

Dennis is a bit taken aback. "Oh. Um, thank you. Uh, so do you." She does, actually. "I don't know if it's just 'cause you're young, but they really twinkle out here. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"No. I don't get much attention from boys."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You sound surprised." Abigail smirks wryly.

"Well, I mean... Yeah. I am. You're cute."

"You think so?"

"Yeah." Dennis smirks wryly. "You sound surprised."

Abigail smiles and ducks her head down.

"Aww, are you blushing?" Dennis teases.

Abigail doesn't answer, but instead looks soberly at Dennis and bites her lip.

"Did I... say something wrong?"

"Dennis... can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"How old were you when you had your first kiss?"

"Hmm... I think thirteen or fourteen. Why?"

"Well... I'm curious."

"Alright, well, there you go."

"No, I mean..." Abigail can feel her heart beating so loudly that she wonders if Dennis can hear it. She kneels up right beside Dennis and grabs the side of his face with one hand as she closes her eyes and touches her lips to his, just softly, barely tasting them. She opens her eyes and drops her hand to Dennis's leg. Her other hand is still holding his. She sits down on her heels.

"Abigail... I think I better get you back to your parents."

Abigail groans. "Ugh, no, don't make me leave yet."

"I'm not making you leave, I'm just -"

"But they will."

"Well... that might be for the best. Wait, are they waiting for you?"

"I don't know. They're probably napping. They said this morning that we could stay 'til the park closes, but they always get tired and want to leave early. You'd hear it if they'd reported a kid missing, though, so my guess is that they're asleep on the loungers. Please can we keep hanging out, Dennis?"

"Well... I guess, as long your parents aren't worrying themselves sick over you. And as long as you don't kiss me again!"

"Sorry. I know I wasn't very good at it."

"No, it's not that. It's - Abigail, you're - you're thirteen!"

"So? You said you had your first kiss when you were thirteen."

"Well, I was actually fourteen."

"Same difference."

"And it was with a girl my own age," Dennis lies.

"I guess she was a lot better at it than I, huh?"

"No, actually. She was too overzealous. A bit rough. Not that that's always bad, but you had more of the right idea for a first kiss. You were really quick, though. Were you nervous?"

Abigail nods and looks down at their hands. 

"Hm. Why?"

"What?" she asks, looking back up at Dennis.

"Why were you nervous?"

"Well... I don't really know how to do it. Can you... Can you teach me?"

"I... guess I, uh, I can give you some tips. So, the stuff you did right: The placement of your hand was good. The gentleness was good. The duration was obviously lacking. And you'll want to maybe slowly increase the pressure of your lips steadily as you continue to kiss him. Tonguing can be tricky, and a lot of people can be pretty particular about it, so I wouldn't even worry about going there. Oh, and you'll want to make sure you're not making yourself a victim of pedophilia."

"Isn't pedophilia sexual attraction to children?"

"Technically, but the illegal part is sexual acts with them. I'd really rather not go to jail."

"Well, you'd only go if anyone found out. Besides, I don't think kissing really counts as a sexual act."

"Well, it's often the first step. So, don't do it again."

"How old were you when you first had sex?"

"Fourteen," Dennis immediately answers without thinking.

"I'm... kind of curious about sex, too."

"... I'm not really comfortable describing sex to you. This is stuff you really shouldn't be talking to grownups other than your parents about."

"Whenever I try, they just tell me that I shouldn't do it until I'm married and ready to have kids."

"Well, that's just ridiculous. You are too young, though."

"You just said you were my age when you did it!"

"No, I was a year older."

Abigail heaves a frustrated sigh. "Dennis, I'm going to be in high school in September."

"That's exactly my point. You're not even in high school yet. You'll be the runt of the pack, I bet," he adds with a teasing grin.

"Hey!" Abigail giggles as she jumps on Dennis, knocking him flat onto his back on the grass.

"Oof!" Dennis brings his arms up around Abigail's back, trapping her against him. He giggles as well.

"Dennis?"

"Yeah, Abby?"

"Can I... Can I ask you a bit of a personal question?"

"Sure. Can't guarantee you'll get an answer."

"Does it... Does it hurt?"

"What?"

"Sex."

"Oh. Um... Usually, yeah, it hurts for chicks the first time."

"Did it hurt for you?"

"My first time was... unique. I really shouldn't talk about it with you." Dennis plants his palms on the ground next to him and lifts himself back into a sitting position with Abigail in his lap.

Abigail rests her ear against Dennis's chest. "I really like you, Dennis."

Dennis brings one arm around the girl sitting on his legs. "I like you, too. As a friend."

"Does this mean we can hang out again, as friends?"

"I'd really like to, but that might be a bit weird. Maybe if your parents are with us."

"Ugh. Never mind, then."

Dennis chuckles. He kisses the part in Abigail's hair. He's instantly unsure if he should have, but it just felt like such a natural thing to do. He wishes he could keep in touch with this girl the way any normal pair of friends would. He feels a real kinship with her. She reminds him so much of himself.

Abigail smiles when Dennis briefly presses his lips to her hair. "I liked kissing you," she confides.

"You barely kissed me."

"I know. But it helped me imagine what a real kiss would feel like."

"Well... then, I'm glad, I guess. That you liked it - not that you did it."

The two of them sit comfortably in silence on the dew-dampened grass for a few minutes until Abigail says, "I don't think I'm too young for sex."

"You are."

"I've masturbated," she boasts.

"Hah, well, good for you, but that's not the same."

"I can do it well, though. I've made myself come a few times."

"I doubt you actually have. How do you - No, actually, never mind."

Abigail answers Dennis's unfinished question, anyway: "Usually I start out daydreaming. Sometimes I look up porn on my phone. I play with my nipples 'til I get wet. Then, I move one hand down and dip two fingers inside. Once they're all slippery, I rub them against my clit. I usually do it really fast, kind of like how a DJ might spin a hip-hop record. Sometimes I imagine someone's watching me do it. That usually helps me come. It feels like fireworks inside my head, but in a good way."

"Hm. It does sound like you've got the hang of it."

"So, I'm not too young for sex."

"You are, but, if you really want to do it, you'll have to find a boy your own age. Or a girl."

"How would I have sex with a girl?"

"I thought you said you've seen porn?"

"Yeah, but I've never really been interested in lesbian porn. I don't really get attention from boys, though, like I said."

"Yeah, I don't understand that."

"Like you said, I'm a runt. I don't have boobs."

"Mm. Yeah, preteen boys do like boobs. Well, once you hit puberty, I'm sure you'll get all the dick you want."

"Hey, I've hit puberty!"

"Well, once you complete it, then."

"Are boobs important to you?"

"I like them."

"Did the girl you had sex with when you were fourteen have boobs?"

"She did."

"Is that why you wanted to have sex with her?"

"No. She was... very different from any of the other girls. I think she kind of wanted me more than I wanted her, but I thought it would be kind of cool to bed an older woman." Dennis internally curses himself for unthinkingly disclosing that last detail.

"She was older?"

"... Yeah."

"How much older?"

Dennis sighs. "She was... the librarian at my school."

"What! So, she was, like, the age you are now?"

"No... She was older, actually."

"Holy crap! She must be ancient!"

"Thanks."

"I'm not saying you're ancient. Is she even still alive?"

"I honestly don't know. She would be quite elderly, if she is, you're right."

"Well... then, don't you think it's a bit hypocritical of you to say that it'd be wrong for you to have sex with me? You seem really caring... It'd at least guarantee that my first time's not with some immature douchebag who just wants to get laid."

"No, it's not hypocritical of me at all. I never said it wasn't wrong for Ms. Klinsky to have sex with me. She could very easily have gone to jail if anyone had found out. And we did it in the library, too, after it had closed. That was really stupid. I think she might have been really lonely. Her husband had just passed away the previous month, if I recall."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. It was a long time ago. My sister thinks it traumatized me." Dennis scoffs.

"Did it?"

"... Hey, why don't we head back to the park?"

"No, I don't really want to yet. I like it here. It's nice and tranquil."

"You're really something for a thirteen year old, you know."

"I know."

"No, I mean it. You're really precocious."

"If it wasn't illegal... would you? With me?"

"What, sex? No. I wouldn't."

"Why not?"

Dennis laughs as he answers, "Because I'm not attracted to you."

"Hey, I thought you said I was cute."

"You are. You're a cute kid. If you were five years older, I - I might."

"Really?" Abigail beams.

"I... probably shouldn't have said that."

"What would be so wrong with it? Ethically, not legally. You had sex with someone older than you are now when you were pretty much my age, and you said it didn't traumatize you."

"I actually never said that. It... definitely affected me."

"How?"

Dennis runs a hand through his hair and slouches against the tree at his back. "It sort of... warped my view of sex. I'm not actually as good a person as you seem to think I am."

"What do you mean?"

"Well... she was kind of pushy. Like I said, she was lonely, and I guess a bit desperate. It was weird; I felt simultaneously like I was taking advantage of her and like she was taking advantage of me. It just sort of felt wrong all around."

"What did you mean when you said you're not a very good person?"

"Like I said, that experience affected me. I can be kind of pushy, too, when it comes to sex. Not that I'm emulating her, at least not consciously. I don't know, I just... I like getting my way. Being in control."

"Hm. Well, as long as it's consensual, I don't think that makes you a bad person."

"Oh, it is. It always is. But... sometimes some people take a bit of convincing, which I'm sure would be seen as unethical by some."

"I like being controlled. Remember how I said I like to imagine being watched? Well, often I picture that whoever's watching me is commanding me to pleasure myself for them, and that if I don't make myself come, they'll punish me."

Dennis moans softly before he can catch himself. He tries to cover for it by clearing his throat.

"What do you think about when you masturbate?"

"That's... really personal."

"Is it something bad?"

"No, I just... I don't think I should be talking about this with you."

"Do you have fantasies of being in control?"

"Of course. A lot of the time, they're memories, actually."

"Lucky."

Dennis laughs softly. "Well, I've been around for a lot longer than you. You've got plenty of time to stock your wank bank."

Abigail snickers at that. "Can you tell me one of your fantasies? I told you one of mine."

"I never asked you to."

"Still," she persists.

"Sometimes... Sometimes I like to roleplay. It's great when I can act out my fantasy with another person."

"What is your fantasy?"

Dennis bites his lip. "... I don't really wanna say."

"Is it a rape fantasy?"

"How did you know?"

"Well, you said it was a fantasy of being in control, but you didn't want to say what it was. What else could it be?"

Dennis looks down at a ladybug ascending a blade of grass beside them. "Do you think I'm a bad person now?" he asks quietly.

"No, I get it. It's just pretend, right?"

"Right," he assures.

"I can actually kind of relate. In, like, the opposite way."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I like to imagine that I'm being held down and fucked really roughly, unable to fight or escape."

Dennis pushes Abigail a bit further down his lap, towards his knees, when he feels his cock begin to stiffen at her words. "You probably wouldn't like that in real life, though."

"I might like roleplaying it, like you do. Do you ever roleplay it like that?"

"... Yeah. Sometimes I tie them to my bed. That frees up my hands to choke them or slap them or cover their mouth, maybe pull their hair. I really enjoy talking, too; it enhances the role. I might threaten them or degrade them. Occasionally I'll praise them. Might make them beg or demand that they thank me." Dennis feels Abigail wiggle on his lap.

"... Dennis?" Her voice is uncharacteristically timid.

"Yeah?"

"I'm... really wet."

"Oh. Um... That's okay. I'm actually a bit hard. I, uh, I guess this is sort of to be expected with this kind of talk."

"Can you touch me?" The question is almost a whisper.

"No," he says gently. He wraps both his arms around Abigail, hugging her close to him. "Abigail..." Dennis sighs. How does he explain this? "Look, you like me, right?" He feels Abigail nod her head against his chest. "Okay. So, you wouldn't want to do anything - or ask me to do anything - that could get me into trouble, right?"

"I guess not," she mutters. "But I don't think anyone can see us from here. And I would never tell."

"I know. But it's not going to happen. Okay, sweetheart?" Dennis kisses her head again.

"Okay, Daddy." She snuggles into Dennis.

"Um... Freudian slip?"

"What?"

"You, uh, you called me "Daddy.""

"Oh." Abigail blushes. "Sorry. Dennis."

"That's alright." Dennis chuckles softly. "But, see, that's sort of another reason why we just... can't. Our age gap is so big that you subconsciously see me as some sort of father figure."

"Sometimes I hear people say it in porn."

"Yeah, it's a kink for some people."

"Is it for you?"

"Sometimes. It didn't do anything for me when you said it just now. In fact, it might creep me out a bit now if you repeat it. It didn't just then, but... now that we're talking about it as a kink..."

"I get it. You know, I've been fingered before."

"I thought you said you don't get attention from boys?"

"Well... I've fingered myself."

"... What's your point?" Dennis asks with suspicion.

"I know I like it. I'd probably like it more if you -"

"Abigail, stop. Look, I like you, but I'm almost done being nice. My patience is starting to wear."

Abigail confronts Dennis's irritation with defensiveness: "Hey, you admitted you were hard! So, you want to at least a little bit."

"But I'm not going to."

Abigail abruptly encloses the delicate fingers of her right hand around the bulge in Dennis's shorts and squeezes the rigid shape.

Dennis gasps. He allows his eyes to close as he tips his head back against the tree for a moment. Just for a moment before he places his hand over Abigail's and lifts it off his crotch, settling both their hands in her lap.

"Did you like that?" she asks.

Dennis narrows his eyes. "Yes. Don't do it again."

"Can you... return the favour?"

"What did I just say?" Dennis's voice is so hard that the question bears almost no inflection.

"Are you angry with me?" Abigail asks, sounding genuinely unsure and almost scared.

"No," Dennis reassures. "But if you keep this up, I can't promise I won't be."

Abigail shifts on Dennis's lap again.

"Oh, God, don't tell me that turns you on."

"Why? Does that make you mad?"

Dennis can hear the mischievous smile in Abigail's voice. You know what? Fuck it. It might actually get her to cut it out. "You want it so bad, you little brat?" he whispers darkly as he slips two fingers into the bottom of her swimsuit. He curls them up inside her only to the point of the first knuckle. "Holy shit," he breathes.

"Yeah. Told you I was really wet."

"No, you're - you're fucking tight. Holy fuck. Is this hurting you at all?" Dennis tilts his head down to look at Abigail's face.

"A little," Abigail admits with a wince.

Dennis withdraws his middle finger, leaving only his index inside. "How's that?" he asks as he begins to slowly thrust it back and forth.

"Oh!" Abigail squeezes her eyes shut and moans as Dennis increases the pace and depth of his digital thrusts. She grabs onto each of his arms with both her hands.

"And you wanted me to fuck you," Dennis chuckles. "Can't even take my fingers. I'd break you."

"Uh! Oh, Dennis," she pants. "Dennis, I - I'm - ohhhh fuuuuuck..."

Dennis fingers her faster, harder. "You gonna come, Abby? Come for me. Be my good girl. Come on my fucking hand. Come and I won't have to punish you."

Abigail buries her face in Dennis's chest to muffle a very high-pitched squeal as she contracts around his finger, drenching it as her entire body shakes. She moans when Dennis finally slides his finger out of her.

"Oh, God. Oh, God, what have I done?"

Abigail looks up at the distress creasing Dennis's features. "It's okay," she tries to assure him. "I wanted it. Thank you. I won't tell anyone."

"... I think I'm gonna be sick."

"No, Dennis, please don't freak out. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. Well, I mean... Okay, it is a little. But I'm the adult. I shouldn't have done that."

"Hey, it's not a big deal. We'll just... pretend it never happened."

Dennis nods. "Right. Okay, yeah. Just... move past it."

"So... I'm guessing you don't want me to return the favour?"

"Oh, fuck, no."

"That's too bad. I've never actually touched one directly."

"Good! Good to know you've never been fucking raped! Aside from... just now..."

"It wasn't rape."

"Legally, yes. I'm actually panicking a bit, here."

"You can't rape the willing."

"That's... exactly what I said to Dee about Ms. Klinsky."

"Who's Dee?"

"My twin sister. Who, I guess, was right. I... I was raped." The revelation hits Dennis hard, made all the more impactful by the fact that it took him repeating the wrong that had been done to him for him to acknowledge his own victimhood.

"I'm sorry," Abigail says softly as she gently embraces Dennis.

Dennis rests his palm against her back. "Don't be. You were, too. It's best to just come to terms with it, rather than let it sit in the back of your mind, a warped, gnarled memory gathering dust and infecting your outlook on sex, the world... yourself."

"You sound like you're far away. Like you're deep inside your own head."

"I guess," Dennis mutters absently. "Hey," he says, returning to the here and now, "how are you feeling?"

Abigail smiles radiantly. "Great, honestly."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I guess I was more ready than you were."

"Well, I had actual sex. And no, that's definitely not going to happen with us. In fact, nothing else is going to happen with us. I really better get you back to your parents. Don't fight me on it. It's approaching dinner time, if it isn't already past it."

A loud whistle carries on the breeze, followed by, "AIDS! Everybody out!" and ensuing screams of pandemonium.

"Ah, well, there you go. What timing; looks like the park's closing, anyway." Dennis shuffles Abigail off his lap and braces his palm against the tree to get to his feet.

Abigail picks her water gun up off the ground and hands it to Dennis. "Here," she says. "I want you to have it. So you never forget me."

Dennis smiles. "Thanks, Abby. Come on." Dennis grabs her hand, dangling the water gun in his other one. "Let's go find our families."

The pair make their way across the parking lot and back through the park. Dennis manages to spot Frank and Charlie about thirty feet away from him.

"I think I see my mom and dad. Bye, Dennis!" Abigail hugs Dennis tightly, but briefly. She doesn't want her parents to see her and ask questions. She skips off towards her folks, who are indeed resting on a pair of white plastic loungers.

Dennis waves goodbye at Abigail, though her back is towards him, shrinking into the distance. He wonders if he'll shrink from her memory, into insignificance and inconsequence. Somehow, he doubts it. He can still remember the mousy features and wiry hair of a vulnerable, misguided guiding hand. He wonders if, decades from now, Abigail will recall fingers that were too big for her and the allegedly nice eyes of a seasoned petty thief. Dennis wonders if he wants her to.

**Author's Note:**

> Context/ references:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFMWGf65Rj8&feature=share
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M5NZdXgefU&feature=share
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huzlGMF8BVQ&feature=share
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aUKvGqvWUw&feature=share
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTH8kVGxmM0&feature=share
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdHLI2vTnTY&feature=share


End file.
